Turning
by Jayta
Summary: Chapter 2 update: Jeremy finds out some information that will turn his world upside down.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters. They are the property of CW network. I just have fun playing with them!  
**Title:** Turning

**Prologue**

Annabelle watched the shadow moving behind the thin white veil hiding the boy that was forbidden to her. He knew about her. This boy who had been through more than most humans could even comprehend knew her secret. It was the most unexpected twist in a life she had so meticulously kept hidden from everyone.

Jeremy surprised her from the very moment she met him. He came across as aloof and hopeless. The guy was a drugged-up loser. This was the reason why she had no qualms using him to seek vengance for what John Gilbert put her mother through. Just desserts.

Now...Now he was this guy, who had just made her reveal just a little piece of herself. He cut his hand to see if what he believed about her was true - was she a vampire? It was insane. She had told him as much as she could have killed him.

Two weeks ago she would have killed him without a thought. What had changed?

It was stupid. How many lifetimes had she lived? She had been through puppy love. She was not some inexperienced lovestruck girl. No, that was over a hundred years ago. The bloom had worn off her as some would have said decades ago. Yet here she was, standing outside his window, contemplating what it would be like to grant him his request.

Turning Jeremy Gilbert had been an option. Technically it would have been quite satisfying turning the descendant of a Gilbert into the monster that he 'loathed'. But then, in the end, she and other vampires would have had to live with the ramifcations of that revenge...for eternity. And who really wanted to live for eternity with a stuck-up descendant of the Gilberts? So no, it had never been an option. She would never have given it a second thought...two weeks ago.

Now...now, he was Jeremy. He was just Jeremy, not Jeremy _Gilbert_.

When he broached the question the first time, Anna had been more shocked than anything. Why would he want to be like her? Why would he want to be one of them? I had to be some kind of joke. This guy who had a living breathing family who loved him, who was smart and had everything going for him wanted her to turn him? He had to have been playing her. No one wanted to become the undead.

It was a world of secrets. It was a life of fear, death and more one chose this life. At least she did not remember being given the choice. She and her mother had been 'turned' by Katherine. Anna supposed her mother thought this was a gift from her best friend. And if one chose that slanted perspective, it was true. Immortality had its perks. However, being feared and hunted was something Anna hated. Her mother had taught her well; she was a smart vampire. Pearl had taught her quickly that to live in peace was to live that she had.

If she had wanted, no one would have ever noticed she existed. It wasn't hard. Before she had been turned she had been a mousy creature, invisible to the naked eye. She blended very well into the background.

He was different though. Jeremy was different. He saw her. He was actually paying attention.

And maybe for this reason she hesitated.


	2. Chapter 1: Decisions

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters. They are the property of CW network. I just have fun playing with them!  
**Title:** Turning

**Decisions**

The prospect of walking down the halls of the Mystic Falls High wasn't so unbearable these days. Jeremy found he had something to look forward to these days. It was something that he didn't quite understand, but it felt good.

He had not felt like this since before his parents died.

However the reason was less than popular though. Of course the population of Mystic Falls would have laughed in his face. Wanting to become a vampire did not come up in regular conversation with fifteen year olds. Nevertheless, this was what was on his mind constantly ever since Anna revealed her little secret. Or perhaps more accurately, ever since he forced her hand by cutting his hand last night.

His eyes scanned the hallways for the petite brunette. She was very good at blending into the background. It might have been an essential need for her kind. He wasn't sure. Jeremy made a mental note to ask since he would soon become one, despite Anna's constant reproaches and rejections.

Jeremy the vampire. He stifled a chuckle. It so did not have the same kind of ring to it, like 'Dracula' or 'Lestat'.

"Hey Jer," Elena said, falling into step with him down the crowded corridor. "What's got you so distracted?"

"Uh," he fumbled. "I was just thinking about stuff."

"Such as...?"

"Uh..." Out of the corner of his eye he saw a blur of brown and black. His head turned slightly to inspect the phenomenon.

"Jer?" Elena turned her head towards the direction of her brother's gaze. "What is it?"

"Uh nothing," he dismissed, brushing off the idea that it was Anna. "I just thought I saw someone."

"You looking for Anna?" Elena asked, her tone slightly off.

"Maybe."

"Jer, how well do you know her?"

Jeremy turned to her sister and gazed at her curiously. He wondered if she knew something. Did she suspect as he had? Could Elena think that vampires existed in Mystic Falls?

"She's the weird stalker chick..." He shrugged as if it was nothing more than a casual acquaintance.

"It's just you're back on track with your life, and I just don't want anything to mess you up."

"And you think Anna can do that?" he scoffed.

"I think there's a lot of things you don't know about her and you can't always trust what you see."

Jeremy frowned and turned to his sister. "Why? Do you know something about her?"

Elena looked taken aback by the question. "Uh...Uh, no," she stammered. "I just mean that she's a new girl, we've never met before. You don't know anything about her."

"So what's the difference between her and Stefan?" Jeremy observed her carefully for any tell-tale signs that she might have an inkling of Anna's secret. "He was new to town," he countered. "And you took up with him pretty fast."

"Stefan's different."

"How?" Of course he knew the answer to that question. _He's human._

"Look Jer," she sighed. "You just got over Vicki, it's probably not a relationship you want to rush into...That's all I'm saying."

"Like I said, I just met her," he lied. "It's not like I plan on dating her or anything."

"Okay...Okay. I'm sorry."

"Look Elena, I promise I'm fine. Back to normal."

"If you really could call our family normal," she joked, nudging him.

"Well, as close as it gets, I guess."

Jeremy watched her walk away, knowing that she would probably have a heart attack if she knew what he was contemplating. She had always been the responsible one. Even though she had been a lot more carefree before their parents died, she had always looked out for him. He knew it would probably kill her to find out he was going to become a vampire.

Of course that still depended upon Anna. He still had to convince her.

--&--

_Meet me at Grillz._

Annabelle toyed with the cell in her hand. Her mother was running errands in town and they were to meet up in half an hour. Her eyes scanned the restaurant/bar for the scraggly-haired boy that was causing her to lose a lot of sleep. Of course, not that she slept much.

"Hey Anna!" Jeremy waved at her from the counter he was sitting at.

"Hey," she smiled, hopping up onto the stool beside him. "What's up?"

"Nothing," he replied. "Bored. Thought you could help me out there."

"And how would I do that?" She eyed him knowingly.

"Hey, I hear vampires know how to party?" he joked.

Annabelle knew there was subtext beneath his words.

"You really want to talk about that now?" she sighed, rolling her eyes. "I mean, you'd think after rejecting the idea so many times I think you'd get the hint."

"It's a good idea."

"It's a bad idea, Jeremy." Anna wanted to be annoyed and angry at him for continuing to broach the subject but the playful glint in his eyes kept her desire to lecture him at bay. "Why do you want this so badly?" she asked curiously. "I mean I've never known a person who would voluntarily become a vampire, unless there was a reason."

"I've already told you my reasons."

"Just because you're alone and lost doesn't mean you have to become a vampire. And until you give me a decent reason," she said, shaking her head. "I can't do it."

"So what do you deem a 'good reason'?" Jeremy needed to know what could possibly keep Anna from turning him. He did not think that vampires really had many morals. They killed people to feed for pete sake.

"You wanna know why we turn people, Jer?"

"Sure."

"There's no altruistic reasons. We turn people so that we can use them to do our dirty work," she said bluntly. "And we sometimes do it out of boredom. And that scene never turns out well."

"Well, are you bored yet? he smirked.

Anna just shook her head at his naivety. "I think the only good reason we could ever have for turning someone is because we could never be parted from them," she continued softly. Her eyes darted up to his. "And let me tell you, we're nowhere near that turning point." She laughed nervously.

She couldn't believe she had just said that. She sounded like an idiot. What was wrong with her? She was an old woman comparatively to Jeremy's fifteen years. And here she was rambling like she was fifteen again.

Suddenly out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her mother walk into the room. Her hair was wet as was her coat. She glanced out the window and realized it had started to rain outside.

"Sorry, gotta go," she whispered, sliding off her stool.

"Annabelle, you ready to go?" Pearl glanced over her daughter's shoulder at the boy whom Annabelle had been speaking with.

"Yep." Anna forced herself not to look back. If she gave any hint that she was nervous about Jeremy, her mother would pick up on it.

"Who were you talking with?"

"Oh just a classmate," she dismissed casually.

Just as they turned to leave, Mayor Lockwood stepped across the threshold.

"Miss, if you're thinking about travelling outside town, I wouldn't recommend it," he smiled graciously. "It's getting to be a pretty bad storm out, tonight."

"Well thank you, sir," Pearl smiled briefly. "I'm sure I can handle it."

"Mayor Lockwood," the host interrupted. "We have your table ready."

"Thank you."

Anna noticed her mother's demeanor change at the mention of the Mayor's name. She was plotting something.

"Actually, Mayor Lockwood, is it?"

"Yes?" The older man turned and gave her the once over.

"I'm new to town and was wondering if I may join you for a moment?" Pear smiled coyly. "There's a matter I'd like to discuss with you?"

"I'd be happy to entertain a lovely lady such as yourself at our table," Mayor Lockwood agreed, gesturing for Pearl ahead. "Isn't that right Tyler?"

Anna watched as the dark-haired teen beside the Mayor roll his eyes.

"It'd be happier if you weren't drooling over her, Dad," he whispered in disgust.

"Mother, can I be excused?"

Pearl nodded.

Anna wandered over to the pool table, feeling her mother's eyes on her. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

_You staying?_

Glancing up she saw Jeremy watching her.

_Yeah, Mom's got business._

Jeremy glanced over to see Anna's mother enthralled in conversation with Mayor Lockwood. Sliding off his stool he walked over to join Anna over at the pool table. However, he noticed her motioning him to stop. He frowned.

_Mom watching_

_Talking with Lockwood_

_No_

Jeremy slowed his talk and stopped in front of the dartboard. He plucked the darts from the board and took a few steps back. From here he could see her perfectly.

_We're a secret_

He smiled.

_I know_

This sneaking around reminded him of his relationship with Vicki. For the longest time, no one knew they were involved. He hated it. However, it was worse with Vicki because she wasn't just keeping him a secret for their sakes. It was a secret because Vicki wanted someone else.

With Anna, he got the feeling that she was trying to protect him.

Anna watched as Jeremy attempted to play darts. She tried not to laugh as she watched a dart bounce off the board and fall to the ground. He was really terrible at it.

_Practise practise_

Jeremy looked up and smiled half-heartedly.

_Ha. Ha. *insert sarcasm*_

She let out laugh.

Pearl glanced up at her daughter's laughter.

Anna bit her lip and kept her head down, turning her attention back to pool. Silently she chided herself. It was a stupid mistake.

_Bored_

She glanced up and saw Jeremy watching her. Suddenly she felt her face flush, though that was medically impossible with her being dead. Nevertheless, she felt herself come as close to blushing under his attentive gaze as she would ever come.

_Suck it up princess_

Jeremy chuckled softly.

_Turn me and I will  
_

Anna again was caught by conscience. Years ago, she wondered how she could possibly still have a conscience now that she was dead. There didn't seem to be an answer to her question though. Her life would have been easier to live by if she didn't have one. She could turn others and not worry about the consequences. But here she was again, torn by the desire to have someone who wasn't bound to her by blood (she smiled at the pun not intended). Jeremy seemed the perfect fit. Even if he didn't love her and she, him, he was a good friend. Those were hard to find.

He watched as Anna seemed to be lost in thought. Part of him didn't understand why there was such a delibration over it. Then again, Jeremy figured he should be glad that she cared enough to care whether he was turned or not. She was something he'd never encountered before. Of course, his image of vampires were definitely marred by folklore and myth. They had always been these demon things that needed to be killed.

Anna, she was something else. He could not imagine anyone wanted to kill her.

Her mother looked like she was just wrapping up her meeting with the Mayor, so Anna slipped into the ladies room before the long ride home. As Anna washed up, she could not help but notice this energy that was humming inside of her. She hardly recognized it. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she wondered if this could possibly work out?

She heard the door open and close behind her.

"Annabelle."

"Mother?"

"You have to stop associating with that boy," she hissed, her brow set in that determined way that Anna remembered from a century ago whenever she was angry. "Did you know he was a Gilbert?"

"Mother," she gapped, unable to lie to her about this. She never lied to her mother. It was something she never did, until that night. "I know."

"And _what_ do you think you're doing with him?"

"He's my friend, Mother."

"You know what Gilberts do to so-called friends like us," she said harshly. "I was in that tomb for almost a century and a half because of them!"

"But Mother he's different!"

"What if he finds out about you? About us?"

"He already knows," Anna blurted out. "And he doesn't care!"

Suddenly Anna saw a streak of black and small stars streaking across her lids. The sting of the reprimand was a shock. Her mother had never hit her before. She stared at the woman whom she had rescued from the tomb and for a moment, she wished she hadn't done it.

"Annabelle," Pearl gasped. "I'm...I'm sorry."

She remained silent, unable to speak for fear of saying something that would incur more of her wrath.

"I shouldn't have done that."

Annabelle felt her mother embrace her. She could see her mother meant it. Her mother never lost control.

"It's just everything is getting to me," she whispered into Annabelle's ear. "That will never happen again."

"You know I love you."

Anna nodded her head stiffly.

"Yes, Mother."


	3. Chapter 2: Truth

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters. They are the property of CW network. I just have fun playing with them!  
**Title:** Turning

**Truth**

"...has been identified as Vickie Donovan."

Jeremy ears perked up at the mention of Vicki's name. He had just been heading out when he stumbled upon the sheriff speaking quietly to Mayor Lockwood, and caught the end of their conversation.

"Vickie?" he asked curiously. "Did you find Vickie, Sheriff Forbes?"

The all-but androgenous sheriff's lips gapped as she turned to face his inquiring gaze. Her eyes darted to the Mayor, as if seeking permission to reveal any of the details. Jeremy glanced over at Tyler whose face was ashen.

"Mr. Gilbert," coughed Mayor Lockwood. "Yes, they found Miss. Donovan."

"Are you sure it's her?" Tyler blurted out.

"I'm sorry, Tyler," Sheriff Forbes offered, her expression empathetic. She glanced up at Jeremy for a fleeting moment. "The body they found in the gorge by the river is Vickie Donovan."

Jeremy felt his stomach lurch. This was wrong. Vickie had left town. She was living it up on the party scene somewhere. She was not somewhere buried under a mound of dirt...dead.

"In the wash of the storm, the body just turned up."

Jeremy's gaze locked with Tyler's. As much as he hated what Tyler stood for, Jeremy felt for a fleeting moment a connection with his previous competitor. Was this real?

How could this be real?

Anna did not understand the quiet of the house until she stepped out from behind her mother's shadow. There stood Damon Salvatore amidst a scattered room of bodies, along with Mr. Saltzman.

"What did you do?" exclaimed Pearl, in horror. "Who do you think you are? You have overstepped, Damon."

"What did I do?" growled the brooding Salvatore. "Your guys are the ones that kidnapped and tortured my brother, Stefan."

"I..." Pearl paused for a moment, gathering her composure. "Trust me...Be assured whoever is responsible for this will be dealt with."

Anna surveyed the slayed bodies with grim foreboding. She barely knew them; but to see them deposed like that made her ill. Since her mother's return nothing was as she had pictured it. Anna's memories of her mother seemed slightly stilted now. She had always relied on her mother to protect her. Pearl new what to say and do. However, these past few days had made her realize how different things were.

How different things were going to be...

"You know Pearl, this little arrangement of ours doesn't quite work if you can't keep your little minions in line," Damon accused, toying with a bloodied dagger in his hand near her mother's throat.

Anna felt her chest tighten.

"You know if I had a good side, this isn't the way to get on it." Anna held her breath, waiting to see what Damon was planning. However, she found herself breathing a sigh of relief as she watched him move away from her mother. Then as quickly as he appeared before them, he and his companion left the house.

"Annabelle," breathed her mother.

She felt her mother's arms wrap around her tightly. Anna felt her mother's trembling body against hers. This was a disaster. Her mother's plan to re-populate Mystic Falls had just experienced its first hiccup.

"I'm sorry, Mother," she whispered.

"YOu have no need to apologize." Pearl pulled back from their embrace. "Fredrick was to blame, and those who would follow heedlessly because of their need for revenge."

"We're losing everything," she whispered, unable to overcome this feeling of dread. Nothing was as it was before. "Everyone's almost dead."

"Oh Annabelle," her mother sighed, looking her in the eyes. "We are already on borrowed time, remember?"

"Since when did you become a fatalist?"

"I had a lot of time to think about things in that tomb, Annabelle. And believe me, I did wonder if I'd ever see you again, my child." Her mother cupped her face. "If I were honest," she said. "I would have told you that what we went through was inevitable."

"Why would you say that?"

They were the undead, but it certainly didn't mean that they deserved to be entombed for eternity.

"Annabelle, we're gifted with immortality - whether by choice or by force. To be gifted with something like that is to also be cursed."

Her mother's attempt at wisdom resounded within her. It had been the same kind of thoughts that had been running through her head when she had been mulling over the decision whether to turn Jeremy or not. How ironic her mother was speaking the very same thoughts.

"When anyone is faced with the prospect of a people who are faster, stronger and immortal there will be misconceptions and fear."

"You know mother I'm surprised you don't hate them all," Anna blurted out. "I would want all of them dead for what they did to you...to us."

"Being entombed is better than being burned alive," Pearl said pointedly. "Unfortunate circumstances led to our desecration, but if you see it from another perspective - fortunate circumstances led to our survival long enough for you to rescue us."

"How could you possibly think I could have left you in there?"

"I know, my daughter." The long elegant fingers trailed down her cheek. "You have become more than I could have ever imagined," she smiled wistfully. "Had I been there to raise you."

"I did have to grow up," Anna agreed. "I'm not a little girl anymore, Mother."

"I know this," she whispered. "But you will have to bear with me while I learn to let you go."

"I won't go far, Mother." Anna slipped her arms around her mother's thin waist and squeezed her tightly. "We've been apart too long for me to say goodbye just yet."

Jeremy stumbled into his room, numb from the shock of Vickie's death. It was still all a jumble in his mind. He threw his stuff onto the floor and pulled open his desk draw. Slips of paper were filed neatly in the draw. Plowing through them he found the papers he was looking for: photocopied news articles about the recent animal attacks he'd found while researching the actual possibility of the existence of vampires.

_All of these secrets._

His gaze fell upon the last news clipping he'd photocopied - it was a picture of Vickie, with the caption, 'Local girl survives latest animal attack'. Survive? Had she really survived? Somewhere in the back of his mind, when he'd first even contemplated the idea that there were such things as vampires it was because of Vickie. The more he read the articles, Jeremy believed that was the change he had been witnessing before she had left town.

This sudden rage welled up inside him. He couldn't explain it. The way he felt right now - there were no words to express it. Jeremy just wanted to destroy something. His fingers strangled the papers in his hand until the crumpled and torn scraps fell to the ground.

_Vickie was dead. Vickie is dead..._

He wanted to scream, anything to exorcise this ache that penetrated every part of him.

"Jeremy." Anna felt an immediate tension in the air as she climbed through his window. "What are you doing?"

Jeremy froze. This wasn't the time. He did not want her here. Not now when all he wanted to do was hurt someone.

"Jeremy?"

"My friend..." He could not seem to form the words. He did not want to say it out loud. "Vickie, she's dead."

"Vickie?" Her mouth went dry. Where had she heard that name before? "The one you thought was a..."

"Yeah, she's dead," he said bitterly. "Turns out she's been dead the whole time."

Anna felt a light dawn on the entire situation. _The reason he wanted to turn...The reason he was hanging around me..._ How could she have been so stupid. She'd been played for a fool.

Her mother had been right about him. Gilberts always betray her kind.

"She's...she's the reason," Anna's voice was barely above a whisper. "She's the reason you wanted me to turn you."

Jeremy realized at that moment what he'd just done. His gaze met hers. In those dark pools he could see the pain he had just inflicted upon her.

"You wanted to be with her..."

Anna felt a dull ache in her chest where her beating heart should have been.

Jeremy turned away, unable to answer her accusation. It was true. He had secretly believed that becoming one of them would lead him to Vickie. Part of him had imagined the possibility that if he became what he had thought Vickie was, he would finally be with her.

However, in the midst of this fantasy world he was living in, Jeremy had forgot about the consequences.

"Anna," he breathed, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry..."

But it was too late. She was already gone. 


End file.
